The Heiress
by sleepyCJwritesSTUFFnow
Summary: Appearances are deceiving; the past is a tricky thing that never can quite stay where it belongs. At the end of the day, who is really in the right and really in the wrong? SwanQueen AU; start of season 2.
1. Chapter 1

_**Storybrooke, Maine  
**__**Outskirts Of Town  
**__**6:15 PM**_

Mary-Margaret Blanchard rested her head against David's shoulder as they walked. "I'm glad that Regina's curse was broken…I can't believe we had no idea who any of us were for so long…and we just lived in a world under command…"

David sighed. "I don't know what we're going to do with her."

"We don't have to do anything right now," She reminded him. "Although it does concern me that, for all of the issues they have with each other, our daughter spends so much time with her. Alone, no less."

"Snow," He said gently. "They're in a relationship."

She snorted. "Yes, because our daughter is in love with the Evil Queen. The woman who separated her from us for the majority of her life."

"She is," He reminded her. "And we have to respect that."

She shook her head. "I know, I'm sorry, I just don't know how to process all of this."

He paused, cupping her face in his hands. "I promise it's going to be alright."

"I know," She said, softly kissing him before they began to walk again. "We just have to let this go and move on. Things are getting better, and –"

She cut herself off, tripping over a fallen tree that was half encased in the mud.

"Snow!" David exclaimed, rushing to help his wife up. "Are you –"

"Shh…" She said as he steadied her. "What's that over there?"

He raised an eyebrow, confused before noticing an unmoving red smudge in the distance that kept glinting every so often.

"Is that…" He trailed off, struggling to discern what it might be. "Another part of the curse."

Mary-Margaret hesitantly began to walk towards the sight, though it quickly became clear that it was more than they had bargained for.

"I…" She took a few steps closer as he caught up to her. "I think it's a person."

He paused as she stepped all the way over. "Are they alive?"

She was silent for a long moment, taking in the sight. The young woman, likely around seventeen, was laying on the ground, her long, dark waves covering her face and only partially tangled. She was small, and wearing a tight, red silk dress with an elaborate diamond and lace bodice. She was breathing shallowly, it seemed, and, when Snow pressed her fingers gently against her neck, a pulse could be felt. The young woman's pale skin stood out starkly against the mud, and almost look unhealthy. She had a faint pink lipstick, and heavy dark eye makeup. She was beautiful, even unconscious, and yet something about her appearance was uncomfortably familiar.

"She's alive," Snow called out, and Charming ran over. "But I'm not sure if she's well. Take her to the hospital."

He helped lift the unconscious woman off of the ground. "Alright."

"I have to admit, though…" She said, as they slowly began to walk. "She doesn't look like a normal person."

"She's dressed more like someone from our realm," Charming noted. "Which, I agree, is a bit odd."

"Do you think she is from our realm?" She questioned. "Or is this a coincidence?"

He hesitated. "I don't know." He eventually said. "Hopefully she'll come to, and we'll be able to ask her questions."

"That would be helpful," Snow shook her head. "This will be a shock to her if she is, though."

"It's a shock no matter how you put it," He said. "We're still trying to figure everything out."

"I know…" Snow sighed. "I just hope she'll be alright."

"I wonder who she is…" Charming mused. "If she's from our realm."

Snow considered that. "She must be wealthy to say the very least. And powerful…a bit of a dangerous combination. We all saw how it turned out with Regina, after all…"

* * *

"Tell me, Savior," Regina remarked, half teasingly as she grabbed Emma by the collar of her jacket. "Are your parents going to die when they find out that we're together?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "I think they'll force themselves to live just to spite you."

Regina laughed as she released her. "As much as you annoy me sometimes, I glad I keep you around."

"I'm sure you're lonely enough these days too," Emma said, and Regina raised an eyebrow. "With everyone being so angry about the curse."

Regina began to pace, still remembering Henry's angered reaction to her identity. "If I recall, multiple people…including those…dwarves your parents have on their side…have attempted to kill me."

Emma sighed. "I'm not going to let them kill you. I'm a bit mad at you for some of the things you've done, but you've done your best to change, and you saved all of us. I forgive you, and I love you."

Regina smiled a bit in spite of herself. "I love you too."

"See?" Emma said as she peeled off her jacket. "It's okay for you to be a bit vulnerable, to be emotional."

Regina stared at her for a moment. "Sometimes I'm not sure I'm capable of truly doing that."

"You're still human," Emma sent her a pointed look. "You are, I know. You care about our son –"

"Our son, who currently hates me and doesn't know we're involved," Regina glanced out the window, crossing her arms. "Speaking of which, are we ever going to tell him?"

"Eventually," Emma said, putting up her hands. "But after we get everything sorted out."

"Because that will ever happen," Regina remarked dryly. "You're more optimistic than you like to believe."

Emma sighed. "I like to believe that I'm realistic."

"Once I got past some of your…idiosyncrasies…I warmed to them," Regina paused in front of the mirror to adjust her hair. "And you and I eventually had that…torrid night –"

"Don't remind me…" Emma groaned. "Please don't. I hate that our relationship started that way –"

"In some senses, I think it needed to," Regina smirked ever so slightly to herself. "After all, how else were you going to realize that you have feelings for me?"

Emma stared at her in shock. "What are you talking about?"

"You know," Regina said slyly. "I know you do."

Emma reached for her phone as it started to buzz. "Mom?"

"Emma, can you come up to the hospital?" Snow said, her voice a bit quick. "There's a young woman here, and she just gained consciousness…it's weird, though. She was completely unresponsive as your father and I brought her in from the woods, and yet, a few minutes after being on IV, she came to –"

"…You…" A soft female voice said on Snow's end of the line. "…You two…you destroyed everything! You –"

"…Miss, calm down, there's –"

"…How can I –"

"Please be here soon –" Snow started.

"I will," Emma said, ending the call and shoving her phone into her pocket. "I'm heading up to the hospital."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Any particular reason why?"

Emma scowled. "There's a woman that was found in the woods that just gained consciousness. She screamed something about my parents destroying everything. She had a soft voice…but also higher…I only heard a bit over the line, but…"

Regina felt a bit sick as watched Emma pull on her coat.

"Wait," She said. "Let me come with you."

* * *

"Mom," Emma embraced Snow tightly for a moment outside of the ICU ward. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Snow said, then glancing to Regina. "What are you doing here?"

"I am still the mayor," She said haughtily. "And this concerns my town. Now, move along so I can handle this."

Snow stepped in front of the doors. "You are not harming her."

Regina scowled, activating her newly restored magic and transforming her clothes into one of her elegant, queenly dresses.

"I have no intention of doing so," She told her. "Now –"

"Mom, just come talk with me," Emma said, sharing a look with Regina for a brief moment. Turning to the nurses, she nodded shortly. "Let her in. Alone."

Hesitantly, everyone left, leaving Regina alone on the hospital floor. Biting at her lip, she pushed open the doors to the room and stepped in. The young woman looked up, her grey eyes wide, and it was not long before tears started to rise in them.

"What happened?" She said weakly. "Where the hell am I?"

Regina used her magic to shut and lock the doors as she stepped over to the bedside. "Storybrooke, Maine."

She looked around in confusion. "I have no idea where that is."

"It's not where we're from," Regina said, reaching over and placing a hand comfortingly over the young woman's. "When I…when I didn't find you here after the curse…I thought you were dead."

Tears started to fall against her cheeks. "Did it at least work? Are Snow and Charming –"

"No, it only worked for a little…" Regina sighed heavily. "I don't know what to tell you."

The young woman embraced her tightly. "I never thought I'd see you again…after everything…I was alone in the palace for the longest time…and I…I missed you…and Henry…"

"I'm sorry," Regina said softly. "I should have been more careful. You're my daughter, Caitlin, and losing you was one of the hardest things I've ever been through…"

"What happens now?" She asked her. "What are we going to do?"

Regina sighed heavily. "I don't know. I just don't."

* * *

"She did just kind of go off on us," Charming said, and Emma groaned. "What? That's a fact, Emma. She kept snapping things about how your mother and I 'destroyed everything' and 'are the reason it all went to hell'. I don't know who she is, but she's clearly dangerous."

"I wouldn't say that," Snow said. "She could just be in shock."

"She seemed perfectly confident," Charming countered. "And –"

"A lot of people coming out of comas seem perfectly reasonable even when they're not," Snow replied. "She's not in a good state, just keep that in mind."

He was silent for a long moment, but then nodded. "Alright."

"She can't be Caitlin," Snow told him, and Emma's brow furrowed in confusion. "She's not here. She had to have died during the curse."

"Who exactly is Caitlin?" Emma asked, clear bemusement in her voice. "And why would it matter if she were her?"

Snow hesitated.

"Do you really want to know the answer to that?" She said. "Emma?"

She nodded. "Of course I do."

"She's Regina's daughter," Snow told her. "She's eleven years younger than me, and she was seventeen when the curse was cast. She…she's the daughter of Regina and a stable boy that she loved. She's also the reason that Regina and my father never had a physical relationship."

"Regina killed your father," Charming added. "Which is more proof that she's a vengeful –"

"I'll be right back," Emma said, standing up quickly and all but running up the stairs. "I promise."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Storybrooke, Maine  
**__**Maintown Hospital  
**__**3:13 PM**_

"I'm fine," Caitlin snapped, and the nurse sighed. "I can be released –"

"To who?" The blue fairy asked, an eyebrow raised. "Sheriff Swan?"

Caitlin shook her head and gestured to the doors. "Mayor Mills."

Blue took in a sharp breath. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," Caitlin said, flaring her grey eyes almost dangerously. "Please."

Blue hesitated but then motioned for Regina to come in. "Mayor Mills, she says that she wants to be released to you. The concern I have with that, though, is whether or not –"

"Sheriff Swan barely leaves me alone," Regina told her, sending her a slightly disdainful look. "Nothing is going to happen to her, I promise."

Blue hesitated but she felt an uncanny sincerity in Regina's voice.

"Alright," She said, reaching to help the young woman off of the bed. "Do you want to change into something more comfortable?"

Caitlin raised an eyebrow, then crossing her arms. "This is perfectly comfortable, especially since it was cleaned."

Regina wrapped an arm around her and started to guide her out. "I'll show you our home, alright?"

Caitlin nodded. "Why are you dressed like that, though?"

Regina was silent until the elevator doors shut and they began their descent. "Because, in this realm, this is how someone of my status dresses."

Caitlin considered that and then smoothed out her silk dress. "I like this better."

"I'll help you find clothes you like here," Regina promised her. "You can go through my closet if you want."

She smiled as they stepped out. "That sounds nice."

"It's going to be fine," Regina embraced her tightly, not noticing Snow and Charming until several moments after. "What are you two doing here?"

"We came to get her," Snow said, slight anxiety rising in her voice. "Why are you here?"

"She's in my custody," Regina snapped. "And –"

"I chose to go with her," Caitlin said a bit sassily. "What's wrong with that?"

Snow stared after her but her eyes went wide in shock after a moment.

"Oh my god…" She said softly. "That is her…"

Charming looked to her in concern. "What?"

"That's Regina's daughter," Snow told him, her voice shaking a bit. "That's Caitlin."

Charming grimaced. "Do you think Emma knows?"

"She needs to," Snow said, pulling out her phone. "She absolutely needs to."

* * *

"I'm still angry with her," Henry said, and Emma sighed. "She's the Evil Queen –"

"She's changed a lot, Henry," Emma said gently. "And she feels bad for what she's done. It's just difficult for her to admit what she's done."

Henry pulled his coat a bit closer to him as the wind whipped through the docks. "Do you really believe her?"

Emma ran a hand through her hair tiredly. "Yes, Henry, I really believe her."

He shifted slightly to tightly hug her. "You're still my mom."

"So is she," Emma reminded him. "Just promise me that you're not going to upset her? She's going through enough as it is."

Henry bit his lip but nodded. "I promise."

"Good," Emma said, standing up and then helping her son up as well. "Now, you want to go back into town and see her?"

Henry nodded. "Yeah, I guess that would be alright."

"Hang on," She said, pausing just by her bug. "Get in Henry, I'm going to take this call."

"Okay." He said, quickly slipping into the car.

"What is it?" Emma said as she answered her phone. "I glanced at your texts. They were a little vague, to say the least."

Snow sighed heavily. "Emma, there's something I need to tell you about that girl your father and I found a few days ago in the woods."

Emma glanced at Henry in through the window. "What about her?"

"She's…" Snow was silent for a long moment. "She's Regina's daughter."

"What?" Emma said, her throat constricting. "You're joking."

"No, I'm not," Snow said. "She didn't tell you?"

Emma shook her head. "No, she didn't…"

* * *

"What's this?" Caitlin poked the CD player, causing it to start playing.

_Am I just another angry voice? __Am I too desperate, too caught up in all the noise?_ _Do I mean nothing, another angry voice?_ _Did I even have a choice? Did I only make things worse?_ _Am I just another angry voice?_ _Then I hear the heart sing..._

"That's one of Emma's CD's," Regina told her. "It's her music. Crown the Empire. The Resistance: Rise of the Runaways. I think that song is called Satellites: Act III."

Caitlin smiled a bit. "I like it."

Regina placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. "I'll never admit it to Emma, but I like it too. It's called metal-rock and roll. It's…interesting. Heavy guitars, and drums, some piano."

"What's going on?" Henry asked as he opened the door to the house. "Mom? Who's this?"

Regina smiled. "Henry, this is Caitlin."

He stared at her. "You're pale. Like almost translucent."

She shrugged. "I always have been."

"You're beautiful," Regina said, brushing her fingers through her daughter's dark waves. "And it's alright to be pale."

"Regina," Emma said, stepping in and crossing her arms. "We need to talk."

She tensed. "What about?"

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Your daughter."

Regina's nails dug into Caitlin's shoulder, causing her to flinch.

"You have a daughter?" Henry asked, his brow furrowing. "What?"

Regina swallowed hard. "I…I…yes. Henry…this is Caitlin, your sister."

Henry looked to her curiously. "You're my mom's daughter."

She nodded. "Yes."

"Are you evil?" He asked her, and Emma quietly groaned. "Like mom?"

"She's not evil," Caitlin said, and Regina's nails dug further into her shoulder. "Ow, mommy, that hurts!"

Regina let go of her shoulder. "Sorry."

"So…" Henry said awkwardly. "You look nice."

Caitlin looked down at her tight, dark leather pants and her equally tight, shimmering gold top.

"This is a lot different from what I'm used to," She eventually said. "Pretty…but different."

"You'll get used to it," Regina assured her. "Now –"

"Not so fast," Emma said, sending her a pointed look. "You and I need to talk."

* * *

"I don't like this at all," Snow said as she paced. "I can't take the constant anxiety. What if she does something?"

"We don't know if she will," Charming said, although he knew it was little comfort. "She probably can't even access her magic."

"She always was better than Regina, but she's just…" Snow shook her head. "She's almost uncannily forthright, she's –"

"I know," He said, glancing out the window as rain began to fall. "But it will be alright."

"And if it's not?" Snow questioned. "What are we going to do with her then?"

He hesitated. "I…I don't know the answer to that anymore than I know the answer to what we're going to do with Regina. For now…let's just hope that we don't have to do anything."

* * *

"What's that?" Caitlin leaned over a bit as she watched Henry tap on a small device with a luminescent screen. "It looks complicated."

"This is Emma's phone," Henry told her with a grin. "I'm playing Angry Birds. These things can hold games, and they can call and send written messages to people."

Caitlin nodded. "And what kind of magic does it use?"

Henry laughed, passing her the phone. "Here, just tap the screen and shoot the birds towards those green pigs. It doesn't use magic, it uses technology."

Caitlin pressed her finger down against one of the birds and pushed it back before letting go. "Oh!" She smiled upon the bird blowing up three pigs. "I won!"

Henry glanced over but then nodded. "That's one of the easier levels."

She shrugged. "I've never seen things like this before, give me a break."

Henry giggled. "You're funny."

Caitlin ruffled his hair. "And you're cute."

"Thanks!" Henry said as she handed him the phone again. "I'm glad you're around. Can I show you my storybook? I want to see if you're in it."

She hesitated but then nodded. "Okay."

* * *

"How the _hell_ could you keep something like this from me?" Emma exclaimed in exasperation as she paced around her and Regina's bedroom. "Regina, this is a huge deal –"

"I thought she was dead," Regina said softly. "And I was still devastated. You have no idea how I felt when I woke up here and found that she wasn't. She was the only person that was going to be able to remember our previous life apart from me. She's my daughter, I couldn't bear the idea of anything happening to her –"

"I'm sorry," Emma said, pausing and coming over to where she was sitting on the edge of their bed. "And you're right that I'm not going to understand how you felt. I gave up Henry…and you didn't choose to lose your daughter. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped."

Regina sighed. "I don't know what to do, Emma. I love her, and I want to protect her, but your parents…I know they don't want me to have anything to do with her."

Emma rested her head on her shoulder and took Regina's hand gently in hers. "They'd never hurt anyone. I know they wouldn't."

"You barely know them…" Regina shook her head. "Emma –"

"I love you," She murmured. "I promise. I know this is hard, but we'll get through this together."

Regina bit her lip. "I hope so."

"Just promise me something," Emma said. "Face the future as it comes and swallow your pride. I don't want something else to tear all of us apart."

"I don't either," Regina said, a slight edge rising in her voice. "Not now."

"Good," Emma said, squeezing her hand. "Now, would you like to talk about something more pleasant before we talk to them?"

She nodded, completely unaware of the storybook that Henry was showing Caitlin that showed the worst of both of them in pure, terrible light.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Storybrooke, Maine  
Central Town  
7:24 PM**_

"I think I found you!" Henry exclaimed, and Caitlin raised an eyebrow as she came over and glanced over his shoulder at the storybook. "The daughter of the Evil Queen – Caitlin Leanne – was a troubled person, and her…self-inflicted pain only grew worse over time…"

Caitlin bit her lip, glancing at the scars on her left wrist.

"What does that mean?" Henry asked, looking at her in confusion. "I don't understand."

Caitlin sighed. "It means that, around the time I was fourteen, I was so vulnerable that I began to cut myself whenever I felt I wasn't strong enough. I still have the scars from it…and, in our realm, I never stopped."

Henry set the storybook aside for a moment to stand up and embrace his half-sister. "It'll be alright. You'll find your happy ending."

Caitlin shook her head. "Happy endings don't really exist, Henry."

He stared at her sadly. "Of course they do!"

"I know what you're saying," She said as she reached for the storybook and began to leaf through it. "I was young once and dreamed of happy endings too…but, in the end, you have absolutely no control over what happens. You can't stop people from dying, you can't control who lives, and you certainly can't control the people who will tell your story."

She paused, her gaze lingering over a depiction of her father in the book.

"Who's that?" Henry looked at the page. "Daniel Colter?"

Caitlin ran a hand through her hair, trying to soothe her anxiety. "My father."

Henry sent her a sympathetic, understanding look. "I don't know my father either."

"I wish I had…" Caitlin said quietly, starting to flip through the pages of the storybook again. "But the world isn't like that."

"What's going on in here?" Emma asked, coming into the living room with Regina. "Oh…I see."

Henry smiled. "I'm showing her the storybook."

Regina tensed. "Not exactly the most flattering portrait of me or her."

Caitlin bit at her lip, and then stood up suddenly. "I'm going out…I'll be back…later."

"Goosie –" Regina started, slipping into her motherly affection for her daughter.

But the door had already slammed behind her, and the sound of her heeled boots was soon beyond their hearing.

* * *

The wind ripped through the docks, and Caitlin Leanne Mills sat upon the hood of Emma's car as she manipulated small objects around her with her magic. There was nothing that felt quite right, and so much of her felt numb. There was a part of her that wanted to run, as she always had on the grounds of the palace when she had been anxious, but this was a different time, and a different place. She supposed that her pain and nerves were what she got for falling out of her status, from letting anything ever get the best of her. Self-hatred rising, she scorched a passing leaf in the wind. As the ashes fell to the ground, a feeling of sadness but also of wistfulness fell over her. It was complicated, messy, and it was almost too much.

"Hmm…" An all too familiar voice mused. "Of all people to end up here, I never thought it would be you."

Caitlin looked up, her grey eyes going wide. "I –"

"I see you haven't changed much," Cora remarked. "You're powerful, of course, but you haven't changed much. You're so much like your mother. It's a shame that I was never able to get you to be under my thumb."

Caitlin raised a hand threateningly, her magic pulsing. "You never loved me or mom. You only wanted power –"

"And she didn't?" Cora laughed. "Hook, come here, I've found her."

Caitlin swore under her breath upon seeing the man.

"Ah, so, this is the daughter of the Evil Queen," He smirked at her as he stepped a bit closer. "Shouldn't you be dead? Aren't you the epitome of everything that you say you hate? You're a horrible human being, and you know something? They should have killed you a long time ago."

Caitlin slid off of the hood of the bug and used her magic to pulse him back several feet.

"Don't you dare," She hissed. "You are a –"

"I'm right," Hook told her. "And you know that the penalty for all of your deeds – despite your pleas – is death. Keep that in mind before you try using your magic to be superior again."

Caitlin paled the little bit she could, causing her skin to appear almost translucent.

"I'll give you a chance to leave," Cora said silkily. "And, if you don't, I will kill you and everyone that your mother may love in this…place. You have no place in my plans, and I will not let you – or Regina – stand in the way of anything."

Shakily, Caitlin used her magic to push Cora to the ground and then slipped into the bug and drove off towards the town line, her eyes on the map to a place called Dracut, Massachusetts.

* * *

"I'm going to go find her," Regina said, pulling on her coat. "Emma, she's been gone long enough, and I'm worried. Something could have happened to her."

"I'm sure nothing happened," Emma said as reassuringly as she could. "Really. I'm sure it's fine."

"She took your car," Regina reminded her. "She clearly went somewhere she could be truly alone."

"And that's why we shouldn't bother her," Emma replied. "A person doesn't count as missing until after twenty-four hours."

Regina scowled. "I'm not going to wait that long."

Emma sighed heavily. "Regina –"

"No, you don't understand!" She exclaimed, unable to mask her emotions. "She's the only biological child I have or will ever have! She's the reason I made myself barren – to protect her from my mother – and she's the reason I'm still…losing her was the hardest thing I have ever gone through, and the mere thought of going through that again terrifies me to my wits end!"

Emma hesitated for a moment and then embraced her tightly. "Regina, just please calm down."

"I…" Regina shook her head as she activated her magic. "I can't…"

Emma gave her a gentle squeeze. "Then I'll do everything I can to help you…"

"Emma!" Henry yelled from upstairs. "I need help."

Emma sighed. "You okay?"

"For now," Regina said. "For now."

She stared as Emma ran up the stairs, fighting back her own worries and fears for where the world was going to turn.

* * *

"Where exactly are we?" Hook asked as he and Cora stepped up to the front door of an expansive mansion. "Well?"

"My daughter's home," Cora said, then unlocking the front door with her magic. "And she and I have more than a few words to exchange."

* * *

Caitlin gripped the wheel of Emma's yellow bug tight as she drove out of the town, an _Icon for Hire_ CD playing in the background. As the lyrics of the song went on, she found herself singing alongside them, her high voice beautifully mixing with the recording.

"Been a long way but I never gave up, don't know where I'm going but I keep my head up," She sang, passion rising in her voice with each note. "Been a long time but I don't look back, I've got my whole life left to live…yeah…"

Glancing out the window, anxiety rising in her and making her feel sick as she thought of Cora's threats, she bit her lip and then sang another line, though of a different song, as she thought of Regina.

"It's a brilliant game you play when you lock yourself away…" Her voice became softer as she sang on, until the last line. "And you make me fight for you. Don't make me fight for you…"

* * *

Regina scowled at her mother, arms crossed. "What did you do?" She hissed through gritted teeth.

"I simply removed a problem," Cora informed her with a smirk. "You know full well that your daughter never should have been born, and you know full well that you're more powerful without her. I'm only helping you realize your true potential."

"You ripped away one of the few people I still have that I love!" She exclaimed. "You took my own daughter away from me –"

"Technically, I only…forced her to leave," Cora said innocently. "She's the one that drove over the town line –"

"Because you threatened to kill her, to kill Henry, to kill Emma!" Regina shook her head, wanting more than anything to hurt her mother. "She has enough guilt over things she did when we lived in Misthaven, do you really think that what you did qualifies as giving her a choice?"

Cora shrugged. "From some perspectives."

"Who else was with you?" Regina demanded. "I know it couldn't have been just you –"

"Me," A rough voice said, swaggering presumptuously into Regina's mansion. "And –"

"What the hell did you say to her?" She resisted the urge to activate her magic and kill the man on sight. "Captain Hook."

"Regina?" Emma called as she started down the stairs. "Why do I hear yelling –"

"Ah, that's a fine one," Hook remarked, and Emma recoiled upon hearing his words and, upon reaching the foyer, wrapped an arm around Regina despite feeling the woman tense. "I'd love nothing more than to rip your clothes off and have my way with you."

"And you'd end up in the hospital before you laid a finger to me," Emma replied, glancing worriedly to Regina. "What's going on –"

"I'll make that simple," Cora said silkily. "My daughter needed less distractions, so I forced her daughter out of town in your…well, whatever the hell you call that yellow thing."

"And, as for what I said to her," Hook said with a sickening smirk to Regina. "I simply belittled her and reminded her that the penalty for all of her deeds, regardless of how she begs, is death."

Regina paled. "No."

"Well," Cora said. "If you really want to see your daughter again, she's going to some place called Dracut, Massachusetts. I hope you know what you're doing, though."

"Henry!" Emma yelled up the stairs. "Get a bag and your things and get in Regina's car. We're leaving."

Almost hyperactive shuffling was heard from above.

"You two are absolutely horrible," Regina sighed heavily and shook her head as she looked to her mother. "And you are a terrible excuse for a mother. You never cared about me, did you?"

Cora did not respond.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Henry asked, clutching his storybook to his chest in the backseat of Regina's car as Emma drove. "Mom? Emma?"

Regina stared down the road with narrowed eyes. "Dracut, Massachusetts."

Henry's brow furrowed in confusion. "Isn't that far away?"

"That's where your sister will be," Regina said, swearing upon feeling something heavy hit against her as they crossed over the town line. "I'm not sure my magic will work out here, Emma."

"You won't need it," Emma told her. "I'll protect you and Henry."

Regina nodded weakly, glancing at the mostly empty, dark road ahead with no idea of what could possibly be to come.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Dracut, Massachusetts  
**__**Central Town  
**__**9:18 PM**_

Caitlin Mills sat in the small café, drinking a large can of a drink called Caddy Shack Peace Tea. She found herself enjoying it quite a bit, but her thoughts were wandering to places that scared her half to death. It had been three days since she had left Storybrooke in fear. There was something nagging at her in the back of her mind. She had earbuds in that were connected to something that Emma had explained to her was an iPod a few days prior. In the week that she had been in Storybrooke, she had downloaded the Crown The Empire album that had been in Emma's CD player, as well as all of Avril Lavigne, Michelle Branch, Icon For Hire, and Alanis Morissette's discography. It all sounded different from what she had been used to in Misthaven, but she loved it. The drums, the guitars, the powerful vocals, the way the songs came together in stories. It was beautiful, and it certainly made her feel a bit better.

"Miss?" A young waitress with vibrant blue hair asked. "Are you alright?"

Caitlin pulled an earbud out. "Sorry?"

"Are you alright?" She repeated. "You've been here awhile, just leafing through those books and listening to music."

Caitlin sighed. "I've got a lot on mind."

The young woman nodded as she set down the chocolate muffin. "This might help."

The former heiress smiled. "Thanks."

She winked. "No charge."

Turning back to the window, outside of which rain was steadily beginning to fall, she pressed the earbud back into her ear as _Hands Clean_ by Alanis Morissette started. She sighed heavily, adjusting the fitted yellow moto jacket she had shoved into the bag she had when she had snuck into the mansion to grab her clothes. She had developed an expansive wardrobe in just the first day she had after being released. It had been difficult being so quiet as she shoved her entire wardrobe into her bag, and it had been even worse as she had used her magic to transport herself from the room and into the bug. She had all of the cords that her technology needed to be working, she, of course, had all of her clothes and makeup that she had bought, and she had the credit card Regina had given her that would work no matter what and brought no charges to their account. As she had left, she had felt sick. Everything about her had felt awful.

The bright yellow bug was parked just outside of the café, and she had been sleeping in it after concealing it and herself with magic. She did not feel particularly comfortable in this new realm and being alone in it only made her feel more anxious and insecure. She felt insignificant, upset, and, based upon the fresh scars on her wrist, angry and worthless. It all seemed that everything was coming crashing down. Cora had never been the warmest person, but she had never been outright threatening either. That was what scared her more than anything. Based on where she had ended up because of fear of her, she had no confidence that Cora would not hurt her mother, or Henry, or Emma. She knew that Cora was a vengeful, angry woman, and she knew that part of those feelings were held towards her mother. Though she would never tell her, Caitlin blamed herself for Cora's feelings towards her mother. After all, she was the illegitimate child of her mother and the stable boy – her father – that she had never known.

"When is anything ever going to be enough?" Caitlin murmured to herself as she began to write in her beautiful script into her gold lined notebook. "It's all going to hell…"

"Hmm…" A male voice with a faint accent said upon stepping into the café. "Not quite what I expected."

Caitlin looked up, anxiety jolting through her again upon seeing the man. "Oh lord…"

He turned towards her, raising an eyebrow as he stepped towards her. "Hello, dearie. I see you've changed in this world."

"You have to," She hissed. "How did you find me here?"

"Cora may have let something slip when she came into my shop," He said. "How exactly did you get here?"

"That isn't of your concern," She snapped. "Rumpelstiltskin."

He glanced towards the waitress, who was bopping along to music in her headphones as she wiped down the counters. "Not so loud, dearie."

"Leave me alone," Caitlin said, activating her magic dangerously. "Now."

Rumple shook his head as he stood up and walked towards the doors. "That's your choice, dearie…"

She scowled and did not deactivate her magic until she was sure he was gone.

* * *

"How much longer until we reach Dracut?" Henry asked, leaning forward. "I know we've stopped a lot and have been driving for several days –"

"About fifteen minutes," Emma told him, her eyes still narrowed down the road. "I hope we'll be able to find her, it's getting pretty late."

"If we find your car, we'll find her," Regina said, pulling her coat a little tighter around her. "Could you turn up the heat a bit in here?"

Emma sighed as she reached over for the knob and did so. "This is your car, Regina."

"I know that," She snapped. "But I'm not exactly focused at the moment –"

"Regina," Emma said as they paused at a stoplight just by the town's edge. "It's going to be alright, I promise."

Regina looked at her for a moment and then sighed. "I hope so."

"Mom," Henry said, leaning forward and clutching the Storybook close to his chest. "It was fine the first time she –"

"Henry, stop it," Regina sent him a sharp look as she turned to him. "I don't want think about that…she almost died when that happened…"

Henry looked at her worriedly. "Mom –"

"My father was the one that found her…" Regina said softly. "Rumple persuaded her to do something to…make her powers stronger but she refused and they…dueled…and he almost killed her. I have never forgiven him for that…I almost hate him more than I hate Snow for killing Caitlin's father."

Emma reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to explain, I know how hard this is for you."

Regina bit at her lip as they passed over the town line and began their drive towards downtown to begin their search. "I really do need you, don't I?"

* * *

"We have a remarkable amount of control over the town right now," Cora remarked as she sat at the counter beside Hook in Storybrooke's café. "With Caitlin gone, and Regina, Henry, and that Emma going after. My, we can do whatever we want."

Hook glared at her as he took back a shot. "I'm not too happy with you for some of the…things you haven't let me do."

"We're defeating our own goals in overtaking the town by killing their figure heads," Cora informed him. "Killing Snow and Charming would turn them into martyrs…and it would also turn my daughter and her…family against me because she wants to be the one to kill them. It would be completely counter-productive. I'm sorry that I am defeating your desire to get off from killing."

Hook resisted the urge to slap her. "I'm more than just your pawn –"

"Of course you are," She said with half-sincerity. "But you still have to follow my orders."

"And if I don't?" Hook replied. "What are you going to do about it?"

Cora activated her magic and twirled a ball of fire dangerously in the palm of her hand. "I don't believe that's a question you actually want me to answer."

* * *

"Stop the car!" Henry yelled, and Emma, startled, slammed on the brakes. "I –"

"What the hell, Henry?" She exclaimed, her heart pounding in her chest. "Henry?"

He pointed to the café just across the street. "She's sitting in there, see? And your car is parked just outside it!"

Emma leaned over slightly and then nodded, eyes wide. "Yeah, that's her."

Regina breathed a sigh of relief as Emma parked the car. "I'm going to go talk to her –"

"Regina, wait –" Emma started.

"Come on, Savior," Regina said, sending her a pointed look and then smiling weakly at Henry. "Let's go save her from whatever it is she's running from."

* * *

Caitlin finished the last nibble at her muffin and stood up, dropping her books and pen into her bag with the iPod in her hands. "The world won't survive, but I'll choose how I die tonight…" She sang softly. "So, say you're alive one last time and let the fire rise…"

"Caitlin?" A familiar voice said, worry laced across it. "It's me."

She turned quickly on her heel, her grey eyes going wide. "Mommy?"

Regina all but ran over to her daughter and embraced her. "I'm so glad you're alright…"

"What are you doing here?" She asked her as her voice broke. "Is –"

"Emma and Henry are here too," Regina said, and Caitlin glanced towards the door upon hearing it open again and, sure enough, Emma and Henry walked in. "I was so worried about you –"

"I had to leave to protect you –" Caitlin started.

"No, no you didn't," Regina said, releasing her gently. "My mother needs to leave, not you. I don't know what she's planning, but she is not going to destroy my town."

Henry opened his storybook and began to glance through it. "Mom…"

"What is it?" She asked him, turning towards him with an arm still around her daughter. "Henry? What is it?"

"The book added this into itself…" He said, setting it down on the table and then looking to Caitlin. "Why did Mister Gold come to talk to you here? How did he track you down?"

Emma grimaced. "Do we really want to know the answer to that?"

"I'm going to kill him," Regina said darkly, her arm tightening around her daughter. "I will take his fucking heart from him and make him watch me crush it –"

"Mom," Henry looked at her worriedly. "You're starting to sound like the Evil Queen –"

"I was never the Evil Queen," Regina snapped. "I was always the Queen, it was the so-called heroes such as Snow and Charming that added evil to my name –"

"Please don't do anything you'll regret," He begged. "Please mom. Promise me you won't."

Regina sighed heavily. "Fine."

Emma placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll figure out some sort of solution that won't end in murder."

"I hope so," Regina said dryly. "Because if we don't…"

"Are we going back to Storybrooke?" Caitlin asked her. "Or are we –"

"We're going back," Regina said. "I'll take Henry in my car…and Emma will take you in hers."

Emma nodded. "Alright. There's no point in living in fear, after all."

Regina smiled a bit in spite of herself. "Well put, Savior."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Rural Massachusetts  
Pump Station  
12:27 AM**_

"It's chiller out here than I thought it would be," Caitlin remarked, and Emma sighed as she began to fill her bug's gas tank. "And why exactly are we not going the direct way back to Storybrooke. Cora and Hook are going to know when we arrive either way."

Emma hesitated. "Do you want me to tell you the truth?"

Caitlin scowled. "You act like I don't always go running after it."

"Rumple was following us," Emma told her, and she raised an eyebrow. "At least as we left Dracut. I could see his car in the rearview mirror."

Caitlin ran over to the trunk and popped it open. "Well, if he shows up, I have a weapon of mass destruction that we can use against him."

Emma stared at her as she pulled out golf clubs. "Where the hell did you get those?"

"I found them lying on the side of the road while I was driving down," Caitlin admitted. "And I thought they were wands…turns out they're not, but they're reasonably heavy and made of strong metal. I enchanted them to do extreme damage that magic cannot repair unless, of course, they're in my family."

Emma laughed. "Clever."

"That is what I strive to be," Caitlin replied with a half smirk, then glancing around again as the wind began to pick up. "We're the only ones here, Emma –"

"I'm sure it's fine," She told her. "If we were in a cult trap or something like that, it would be more obvious. Besides the point is that, since you can clearly use your magic beyond the limits of Storybrooke, you could easily stun them if we needed to get away."

Caitlin sighed. "I suppose that's fair."

Emma looked up from the pump upon seeing headlights began to pull into the station. "See? We're fine."

Caitlin felt a cold chill run through her upon seeing the car. "I wouldn't hold my breath."

* * *

"Henry Daniel Mills, I have magic beyond the comprehension of even your grandmother," Regina said, scowling as she stared at the map in her hands. "So, tell me, does your Storybook at any point explain how I of all people can end up with my son in a liquor store parking lot, confused out of my damn mind as to how to get back?"

"Splitting up with Emma and Caitlin was a bad idea," Henry said simply. "She knows how to get back. We should have let her drive herself."

Regina turned towards the back of the car where he was and sent him a dark look. "Over my grave."

Henry sighed. "Well, then why didn't we follow Emma when she turned onto that back road?"

Regina scowled. "Because that wasn't the way we came down from Storybrooke."

"And this is?" Henry bit his upon the look she gave him. "Mom, I'm just trying to help –"

"Well, you're not," She snapped. "This is bad enough as it is, and your…jests do not make it any better. My mother and that…Captain Guyliner are probably doing unspeakable things in my town, and as soon as we get back –"

"Mom!" Henry looked to her worriedly. "You said you weren't going to be the Evil Queen anymore."

"I never was the 'Evil Queen'!" Regina exclaimed, then leaning forward against the steering wheel and burying her face in her hands. "And I wish that you would stop calling me that –"

"You've done horrible things –"

"Who hasn't?" She sighed heavily, trying to regain control over her emotions. "Henry, for years, I have tried to be better, I have tried to do what is right and every time I have been bitten in the ass. I think you and everyone else can give me a bit of a break for being such a hard-ass."

Henry stared at her for a long moment before reaching forward and gently patting her shoulder. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Regina shook her head. "No, Henry, there's not. I just need us to find a way out of here and back to town…where all _four_ of us belong."

* * *

"Don't move," Emma said, pushing her arm in front of Caitlin as a last-ditch attempt to restrain her. "We don't have any idea who they are yet…they might just be your average…late night fuel seekers."

Caitlin sent her a befuddled look. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"I…" Emma grimaced a bit as she watched the car pull closer up towards them. "Never mind, I'm not even sure…"

"What's the plan if they're dangerous?" Caitlin asked her as she swiped the credit card through before removing the pump from the car. "Or –"

"Get in the car, and we drive out of here like bats out of hell," Emma told her, stepping around to the driver's side of the car with one hand on the door. "Okay? And we'll get to the interstate, and head back."

A well-dressed man with a cane emerged from the car and began walking towards them.

"Rumple…" Caitlin hissed. "That –"

"Shh." Emma said, giving her a sharp look. "Let's handle this calmly."

"Hello, Savior," He said as he reached them. "And Miss Mills. How nice to see you again."

"Save your breath, Rumple," Caitlin snapped. "I don't believe my mother would be too happy if you tried anything against us."

He laughed. "I don't believe Regina would have any way of knowing –"

"To the contrary, I believe she would know right away," Caitlin replied, her grey eyes flaring dangerously. "And I also have a feeling that she would take your heart, and make you watch as she crushed it."

Rumple considered that. "As unpleasant as that would be, I am still the Dark One…and crushing my heart would not kill me. One would think that you of all people would know that."

Caitlin raised her hand threateningly, activating her magic. "I'm stronger than the last time."

"I don't doubt that," He replied. "But I do not think you have it in you to kill."

Caitlin bit her lip, knowing that he saw past her façade.

"Now…" Rumple said, stepping forward a bit. "What are we going to do about this? Cora, for one, wants me to –"

Caitlin pulsed her magic at him hard enough to knock him back nearly nine feet. Sharing a quick look with Emma, she all but jumped into the bug. In quick suit, Emma slammed the door shut behind herself and slammed on the gas as they took off towards the interstate. Cloaking the car with blood magic, Caitlin breathed a sigh of relief once they were several miles beyond the pump station from where she doubted the man would be able to follow them. He would make his way back to Storybrooke, she knew, but his reception by the town's people would not be a warm-hearted one. Attempting to distract herself from everything, and feeling further concerned by the slow-bleeding cut she had made into her wrist, she pushed in her earbuds, and pressed play on her music – hoping that there would be something to provide her solace for even the most fleeting of moments.

* * *

Regina jolted in spite of herself as she drove over the town line into Storybrooke. "Do you really not feel anything when we cross over the town line?"

Henry shook his head. "I just don't feel anything. Is that bad?"

"No," Regina said, sighing heavily. "You were born in this realm…Emma doesn't feel it either. I got Caitlin to admit that she feels something when she does, though."

Henry shrugged. "It makes sense."

"I know," Regina bit her lip as she adjusted her mirror. "I hope that nothing too bad has happened."

"I doubt it," Henry said. "After all, it's going to be –"

Regina slammed on her brakes upon seeing her mother standing in the middle of the road. "Mother…" She hissed, all but tearing off the car door as she stepped out. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Where's your daughter?" Cora asked her. "I don't see her…nor do I see Emma…what happened to them?"

Regina scowled. "You may know better than I do, but if they're not alright… I will kill you with no regrets."

Cora raised an eyebrow. "I don't doubt that. You did send me to wonderland, after all."

"You –" Regina started.

"I'll let you go," Cora said, then vanishing with the flick of her wrist.

Regina swore under her breath as she got back into her car and drove the short bit she needed to in order to reach her manor. "Henry," She said as the two of them walked up to their home. "If I ever act like that, you have my full permission to punch me in the face because the last person I ever want to be is my own mother."

Henry stared at her. "You hate her that much?"

Regina laughed dryly. "You have no idea…"

* * *

"We're not going to take the fall like that," Caitlin and Emma sang in perfect tune and harmony as they crossed into Maine. "Fight the weakness –"

"Your heart's still beating!" Caitlin sang fully, her high voice reaching its peak. "I spin the world around, and watch you fall down!"

Emma smiled as she glanced to her. "You've got a beautiful voice."

Caitlin looked down at her hands. "I suppose."

"Honestly," Emma repeated. "I like it."

"What's this band called?" Caitlin asked her. "I like their sound a lot."

"Crashing Atlas," Emma told her. "The song is called Savages."

Caitlin nodded, bopping her head along to the music. "It's nice."

"I agree," Emma said, frowning upon seeing the main road's closure ahead. "Do you want to find a motel to stay at, or do you want to take the back routes to Storybrooke?"

Caitlin hesitated. "Maybe we should just try the back routes."

Emma quickly swerved onto the alternate path. "I just hope this is safe. I haven't really been this way before."

"Before a little while ago, I had never been outside of Misthaven," Caitlin sighed. "If you think that you feel unsafe, then maybe you should remember who you're in the car with."

Emma laughed. "I know, I'm sorry, this is just a little stressful. That run in with Gold hasn't really helped my nerves either."

"That's an understatement," She said darkly. "When you consider everything he's done."

Emma considered that. "Yeah, understandable."

"What I don't understand is why he's so damn interested in me," She said, glancing out the window as rain began to lightly fall. "I'm not an heiress to the throne in this realm, and…"

"You're still powerful," Emma reminded her. "And you and I both know how he feels about power. He'll manipulate anyone for it."

She bit her lip. "I'm not sure how I feel about that."

"I'm not either," Emma admitted. "But, at the same time, we should just hope for the best. With any luck, we'll be back in Storybrooke in a couple of hours and will maybe have a bit of peace."

"That would be nice," Caitlin muttered. "For once."

Emma sighed. "I just hope this wasn't the precursor to something worse…another curse, for instance."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Storybrooke, Maine  
108 Main Street  
11:17 AM**_

"Regina?" Emma stared at her partner in concern. "Are you okay?"

She glanced up, still preoccupied with aimlessly stirring nothing into her tea. "Sorry?"

"Are you okay?" Emma repeated. "You seem distracted."

"I'm…" Regina sighed. "I'm fine."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Convincing, Regina."

"What is it that you want me to say, Savior?" She snapped. "That I'm not concerned at all, that I think everything is alright and going to end happily?"

Emma was silent for a long moment, struggling to know what to say.

"Regina, I don't know what to tell you," She finally said. "I just don't want this to turn you back into the Evil Queen. I don't want you to be the woman you were when I first came to Storybrooke, I don't want you to be angry, or –"

"Do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to process everything that has happened in the last few weeks?" Regina countered. "Do you have any idea what it's like to have to worry about your own child being ripped away from you by your own mother?"

Emma bit her lip. "I don't, Regina, I just –"

"I know you're trying to help," She said, sighing as she stood up. 'But it's not helping. I just…"

"Regina," Emma said, coming over to her and embracing her. "If there's anything I can do –"

"I…" She shook her head and reached for her coat. "I'll be back later…for now, I just need to be alone."

* * *

"I'm telling you," Henry said, clutching the Storybook to his chest. "Happy endings really do exist."

"Henry," Caitlin said tiredly. "They don't."

"How can you not believe in happy endings?" He asked her as they continued to walk. "They're everywhere."

"Look around, Henry," Caitlin said as they reached the edge of the woods and she gestured towards the main town. "This is a curse; the exact antithesis to a happy ending."

He sighed. "I wish you would believe…"

"I used to," She reminded him. "But you have absolutely no idea what the kind of life I've had will do to you."

Henry glanced at the cuts on her left wrist. "Why do you do that to yourself? Doesn't it make you hurt more?"

"It's a denial of weakness, of vulnerability," Caitlin said, glancing around as they continued to walk. "And it…it helps take away the pain I feel over more…Henry, please don't make me get into this. There are too many mess reasons to explain why, and I just don't want to have to think about it."

He looked at her worriedly but nodded. "Alright, I just want you to be okay. You're my sister."

Caitlin awkwardly embraced him. "I know, Henry, and I know that all of this is difficult –"

"It'll be okay," He said. "You'll find your happy ending, I know you will. Just like mom. Mom will have one too…but I –"

"Henry –" She started.

"I don't want her to go back to being the Evil Queen," He said quietly. "I don't want her to be like that…it didn't make her happy…she seems miserable in the Storybook –"

"Because she was," Caitlin snapped, then softening her tone as she went on. "And that's something that is more complicated than even I can understand…not without her explaining it to me more…."

* * *

"_Shh…" Regina held her crying, three month old daughter against her as she paced through her room in the palace. "It's okay, dear, it's okay…"_

_The little girl clutched onto her mother's bejeweled dress and started to calm a bit as she rested her small head against Regina's shoulder._

"_Let me tell you a story," Regina said, glancing at the ring Daniel had given her where it lay on her nightstand. "Once upon a time, there was a young heiress who loved nothing more than to ride and read books. Though her mother did not care for these things, especially in the way she did them, she persisted because it was what felt right for her. The heiress' father, a kind-hearted man, defended her as best he could against his wife, but his wife had a power that his daughter did not yet have. She had magic. She used it against the girl to force her to be what she was not…but she was unable to destroy one thing. The love her daughter had for the stable boy."_

_Regina gently ran her fingers over her daughter's forehead, then pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead._

"_I love you so much, Caity," She whispered. "After your father died…I had no idea what would happen after you were born. I didn't just learn to use magic to get rid of my mother…I did it so I can protect you and teach you how to use it when you're a little older. I want you to be safe, I want you to have what I never did –"_

_She paused suddenly upon hearing the doors open. Holding her daughter close, Regina turned towards the doors to see Snow._

"_My father says that he would like you to join us for supper," The young girl said, adjusting the flowers in her hair. "You can bring your baby, of course."_

_Regina's eyes narrowed for a moment, but she forced a smile and nodded. "I'll be down in a few minutes."_

_Snow smiled brightly and all but skipped off. As soon as she was gone, Regina slammed the doors with her magic though she paused when her daughter began to cry again._

"_I'm sorry, dear…" She murmured, patting her daughter's back in an attempt to soothe her. "It'll be okay…I just wish…"_

"_Regina?" A kind, male voice said as he stepped into the room. "Are you alright?"_

_She sighed as she turned towards her father. "I'm fine…I –"_

"_I know you miss him," Henry said gently, and she bit her lip. "And I know you wish your daughter would know both you and her father, but, please, be relieved that she'll have a good life. She's a princess –"_

"_The entire kingdom knows she's quote un quote illegitimate," Regina reminded him, pulling her baby girl a little closer. "Leopold doesn't even want to consider her as second in line after Snow –"_

"_Regina –" He started._

"_I…" She glanced out the window and scowled as she watched the rain begin to fall. "I should have let Snow die on that horse…"_

* * *

"Where exactly are we?" Henry asked, still reading through pages of his Storybook as he walked. "I've never been to this part of town before."

"Well…" Caitlin hesitated as they reached a stone building with an almost crown-like seal marking it. "I was found near here…and I –"

"What's that?" He pointed to the seal atop the building. "It looks official."

"That's…" Caitlin sighed heavily. "That's the Mills family seal."

Henry shut his Storybook and stared at her in awe. "Really?"

Caitlin stepped towards the vault, activating her magic, and ran her fingers down the center in between the doors. "Yes," She said as the doors unlocked, and she pushed them open. "Blood magic, Henry."

"So only you and mom can unlock it?" He said, still awestruck. "That's so –"

"Cora can unlock it too," She reminded him, pulling the doors shut and beginning to seal them. "Which is the only flaw to sealing it with blood magic. All other types of magic can be broken by anyone, but blood magic…"

"Only in the family," Henry finished, and she nodded. "That makes sense."

Caitlin glanced back towards the vault, wanting more than anything to go into one of the few places she was certain would be like home.

"Caitlin?" Henry said, eyeing her curiously. "You okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine, Henry…I'm fine."

* * *

"Nice to see you again," Ruby said as Emma sat down in her usual spot at the diner. "You want your usual?"

Emma smiled. "Hot chocolate with –"

"Cinnamon," Ruby finished with a faint smirk. "Bear claw too?"

Emma laughed. "You know me well."

Ruby pushed the two items across to her. "So, sheriff, has anything interesting happened lately?"

Emma sighed. "Well, if you count Regina's daughter –"

"That girl is weak," A rough male voice said, sitting down beside her and eyeing her up and down. "I have never seen someone with as little control…although I suppose it's fitting that she's the Evil Queen's daughter."

Emma scowled. "What do you want?"

"I might be here because Cora needs me," Hook replied, reaching over to place a hand over her waist. "But even –"

Emma swatted his hand away and pushed him off of the seat and onto the floor. "Don't you dare try that again."

He stood up and reached to grab her ass, but only found that she kicked him hard in the groin.

"You're exactly like all of the creeps I've arrested," She said with a faint scowl. "And, to make it clear, I have a girlfriend. You might want to steer clear of making her angry, because I hear that she's the Evil Queen…"


	7. Chapter 7

_**Storybrooke, Maine  
Dark Woods  
8:15 PM**_

"I probably shouldn't have brought you here," Caitlin said as she paced through the vault, her fingers lightly grazing against the walls. "But you were going to follow me whether I wanted you to or not."

Henry smiled. "I'm glad you've figured out who I am."

She paused for a moment, sighing heavily. "You're perceptive, aren't you?"

He grinned. "Isn't that great?"

"I am too," She said, her fingers lingering one of the boxes. "But I suppose your book shows that."

Henry hesitated. "I don't want to get too into the book."

"That's not like you," She noted. "Not the you I've been shown, at any rate."

Caitlin was silent for a long moment, brushing her fingers over the box in an attempt to unlock it though to no avail.

"That should be impossible…" She murmured. "It should be…with my magic…for all of my powers…"

"How strong are your powers?" He asked her. "The book depicts them as pretty strong –"

"And they are," She said quietly. "But not always strong enough."

He looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I got into a duel with Rumpelstiltskin that almost killed me," She told him, trying to take in everything about her surroundings. "And…I…I don't even…"

"Are you okay?" Henry said worriedly. "Caitlin, are you crying?"

"I…" She bit her lip. "Henry, this is the closest thing to home I've seen since I came to…and I don't care that we only managed to get in here today…I can feel the magic running through here, and I know this is from home…and all I want is to go back to that with everyone else. I want…I want things to be the way that they used to be…with me as the princess, and my mother as queen…"

Henry raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand why you would want that?"

"All I've known has changed," She said, resting her head against her arm, leaning against the wall. "I don't even know who I am anymore, how someone like me can fit into a world such as this…I'm nothing more or less than a…I've always been outside of conformity, but I don't feel like me here, I feel dangerous here, and I hate myself more than ever…"

Henry sighed. "You're a good person, Caitlin."

"I…" She shook her head. "I don't know what I'm even doing…"

"Caitlin…" Henry said slowly, pausing over a page in the book. "What's this?"

And her blood went cold as she saw the page.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Regina demanded as she walked up to her vault only to find her mother staring at it. "Mother –"

"Oh, Regina," Cora said, turning slightly towards her. "I shouldn't be surprised that you brought some of your magic into this realm…and I shouldn't be surprised that you got it back. What still eludes me is how your daughter just…has it in this realm. She shouldn't…for more reasons than one, that should be completely and utterly impossible."

Regina crossed her arms and glared at her. "What exactly are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how I don't understand a damn thing about your daughter," Cora shook her head. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that she's an enigma. After all, she is the daughter of a stable boy and a queen."

Regina sent her mother a dark look. "Don't you dare do anything else to her."

"That depends," Cora said, rubbing her neck. "I –"

"Leave, mother," Regina said, taking an imperious step towards her. "Now."

Cora rolled her eyes, but used her magic to leave her daughter alone as she was, it seemed, too often.

* * *

"Caitlin?" Henry repeated, looking in concern at his sister. "What's this?"

She bit her lip as she shut the book. "If I tell you, I need to ask you not to judge me too harshly."

Henry's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why would I judge you?"

"Because I am a flawed human being," She informed him. "And I've done things that I more than regret."

Henry began to read through the pages of the Storybook. "You…you threatened Snow?"

Caitlin swallowed hard, upset clear in her grey eyes.

"She tried to…" Caitlin collapsed against the wall and curled into herself on the floor of the vault. "She tried to kill me in order to get to my mother…and Charming was the one that spurred her onto it…or, at least, that's the way it seemed. She shot an arrow that nearly hit me, and…"

"Caity," Henry said, shutting the Storybook delicately. "I don't want to read it…I want you to tell me what happened."

She stared at him. "You trust me?"

He nodded. "I do."

She sighed heavily. "I…I was on my way to the palace from a meeting between my mother, myself, and King George…"

"_What the hell was that for?" Caitlin exclaimed, activating her magic. "Snow, what the hell have I ever done to you? I don't care what's going on between you and my mother, why in the hell would you try and kill me?"_

"_I wasn't trying to kill you," Snow protested, although she could not deny that she had fired the arrow. "I had to make a scene, though, I needed to do something that would make it clear to Regina that this is hurting more than –"_

"_So I'm a pawn?" She snapped. "I'm nothing more or less than a pawn to you?"_

"_Where's your mother?" Snow asked her. "Caitlin Leanne, where is –"_

"_I'm ahead of her…" She said softly. "But –"_

"_Snow!" Charming yelled. "Regina's just down –"_

_Caitlin reactivated her magic defensively as he came running down towards her and Snow with his sword drawn. "Don't you dare –"_

_She attempted to pulse her magic to throw him back, expecting him to kill her, but she was unsuccessful and his sword, expecting her to try to kill him, pierced her clean through her upper shoulder and partially down her side. She collapsed to the ground in agony, too weak to use her own magic to heal herself. Just as she fell into the mud, her blood staining her lavender gown as well as the mud, Regina and her guard reached the scene. Immediately dismounting her horse and running over to her daughter, Regina healed her with her own magic before turning to Snow and Charming as her daughter fell unconscious._

"_What have you done?" She hissed. "What –"_

_Snow and Charming began to run, and only barely evaded Regina's magic which ended up only distracting her guard. By the time they were gone, a cold rain had begun to fall and one of the guards ran over to aid the Queen. Within a few minutes, he carried her into the carriage with the Queen who held her fifteen-year-old daughter as if she were a child. There was nothing that felt right, and she could not deny the anger she felt towards Snow and Charming in that moment. Fear ran through her as she brushed her fingers through her daughter's tangled dark hair; if she lost her daughter, she lost the single stable thing in her life. Though she had not expected Snow to play fair – neither of them were – she had never thought that the woman could fall so low as to harm her daughter, the most innocent person amongst them. She had never done anything, and yet she hated herself, and yet she still had cuts and scars on her wrists from her self-loathing and hopelessness…_

"My mother filled in the gaps in my memory…" Caitlin said softly. "And I…I still can't decide who was in the right and who was in the wrong that day…I just can't…"

* * *

"Sidney," Emma said, scowling at the man who was standing before her. "What do you want?"

"You know what I want," He said, adjusting the hat upon his head. "I need to discuss something regarding Regina."

Emma could barely resist the urge to groan. "If you're still in love with her –"

"This has nothing to do with your relationship with her," He said. "Although I wish that it were I and not you who had access to her heart."

Emma grimaced at the thought. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"I mean romantically," He said. "Not literally, of course. I can't imagine you being able to rip out the Evil Queen's heart."

Emma buried her face in her hands. "Sidney –"

"You have no idea what evil she's capable of," Sidney told her. "Absolutely no idea –"

"Oh, the Savior may not," A silky voice said, stepping into the room. "But that doesn't mean I don't."

Emma narrowed her eyes. "Cora."

"My daughter sent me away," She said, brushing her fingers over the sheriff's desk. "And I'd rather not get into a duel with her right now. Especially considering how much she worries about her daughter and that boy."

"That boy is our son," Emma said, sending Cora a sharp look. "And I don't appreciate you acting as if he is nothing but a –"

"Do you have any idea who my daughter is?" Cora asked as Emma stood up and reached for her coat and bag. "Do you have any idea how horrible she is, what she's done?"

Emma glared. "I know what she's done, and I –"

"Where are you going?" Cora shook her head. "I don't think I'll ever understand you…or anyone like you…"

* * *

"You feeling any better?" Emma called out upon seeing Regina sitting on the steps of her vault. "Regina, I know things were difficult earlier –"

"I'm not angry with you," She told her, pressing her hand against her forehead. "I'm just…contemplating something."

Emma sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist. "What are you thinking about?"

"I…" She sighed heavily. "I'm just worried about my daughter…let alone Henry."

Emma gave her a loving squeeze. "It'll be okay."

"I can almost guarantee that she's in the vault," Regina said, biting her lip. "It's sealed with blood magic…aside from my mother or…or my father if he were still alive, she is the only one who can get in."

"Then why not go in?" Emma asked her. "Why not go ahead and talk to her, be with her? I know you've been separated from her for too long –"

"Being separated from your child at all is too long," Regina told her, hesitantly standing up and activating her magic as she ran her fingers through the small slit between the doors. "I…I'm going to find her."

"Wait," She said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Let me go with you."

Regina hesitated but then nodded. "Alright, fine…let me show you one of…one of my best kept secrets."


	8. Chapter 8

_**Storybrooke, Maine  
**__**108 Main Street  
**__**9:29 PM**_

Caitlin swung open the door and sighed upon seeing Cora. "My mother's not home."

"I know that," She replied, sauntering into the mansion. "I wanted to talk to you."

Caitlin activated her magic threateningly. "Don't you dare."

Cora raised an eyebrow. "What are you expecting me to do?"

"Nothing good," She replied. "Knowing you, at the very least."

Cora sighed. "Why is it –"

"You killed my father!" She exclaimed. "You –"

"Regina had to become Queen," Cora told her. "You of all people have to understand that."

Caitlin stared at her in horror. "She was miserable the entire time she was Queen. She's still miserable. She could have been happy with my father –"

"She wouldn't have been," Cora shook her head. "No, she always needed to have power, she always needed to have a high position."

Caitlin bit her lip "I don't think that's quite true."

"You know it is," Cora said, stepping towards her. "And –"

"What the hell are you doing?" Regina said, stepping into her mansion. "Mother?"

Cora smiled. "I think there are more than a few things for us to discuss, Regina."

* * *

"_Leopold," Regina said, pacing around her room in the palace in her night robe. "I can't consummate our marriage."_

_He looked at her in confusion. "I don't understand why."_

"_Because I'm with child," She told him, and his look turned to shock. "And I am not going to risk my baby's health."_

"_You're…" Leopold shook his head. "Snow is going to be devastated –"_

"_My child means just as much to me as yours does to you," She snapped. "Don't pull that on me."_

_He took a moment to take in her appearance before shaking his head and leaving her alone._

* * *

"I never felt anything for Leopold," Regina scowled at her mother. "And I had never wanted to marry him."

"You like power more than you care to admit," Cora said, then sighing heavily. "Regina, you owe me quite a for everything that I've done for you."

"No," She said, pulling her daughter into her protectively. "I'm not going to play your games, mother."

Cora raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Are you any different than I am, Regina?"

She stared at her for a moment, eyes narrowed. "Have you any idea what I am capable of?"

"I should think so," Cora replied haughtily. "After all, I am your mother."

"You never were a mother," Regina countered, glancing worriedly to her daughter. "Not to me."

"You never understood," Cora shook her head. "Everything that I've ever done has been for your benefit."

"For my benefit?" Regina exclaimed. "No, everything that you've ever done has been so that you can continue to gain power and make yourself better –"

"Enough!" Cora snapped, then turning to Caitlin whose eyes flared angrily. "Now, what are we going to do with you?"

* * *

"Is mom okay?" Henry asked as Emma pulled her bug in front of the mansion. "She seemed kind of detached earlier."

"She's just stressed," Emma told him. "Don't worry about it."

"How can I not worry about her?" Henry looked at her in confusion. "I don't want her to be the Evil Queen. She's come so far –"

"Henry, that's always going to be part of her," Emma turned to him, propping her arms up against the steering wheel. "She's changing, but she's always going to be both Regina and the Evil Queen. Even when she was, technically, the Evil Queen, she was still Regina. You've heard what your sister said, and you know what your Storybook says about it."

Henry sighed. "I'm just scared."

"I get that," Emma said. "And I know that the sleeping curse was frightening, but –"

"She was trying to get rid of you –"

"I know," Emma said, tiredly running a hand through her hair. "And I'm still a bit angry at her about that, but I'm just glad things have worked out. She and I have worked through a lot of problems, Henry, and you're just too young to understand. Things are changing, and they're always going to be."

Henry bit his lip. "That's not very optimistic."

"The world isn't very optimistic," Emma told him. "The truth is that the world is ugly, terrible, and full of shit. I know things have been hard enough for you already, but things don't usually get better in life. They get worse."

He considered that. "Do you really think mom is going to be okay?"

Emma hesitated. "Maybe…but only if she doesn't let herself be overextended by her mother."

* * *

"I don't know what she wants…" Caitlin said quietly, curled into herself on the couch. "And it scares me."

"I know," Regina said, glancing out the window as she watched the rain begin to fall. "But she's not going to touch you, or Henry, or Emma. She'll be out of here soon enough, and –"

"Mom, I –" Caitlin started, pushing herself up.

"Regina, we need to –" Emma burst into the room with Henry by her side.

"Hey, look!" Henry exclaimed, dropping his Storybook on the floor. "It's –"

"Henry, close that –" Caitlin told him, an edge of panic entering her voice.

"What's –" Emma started.

"Henry, shut the damn –" Regina demanded.

But it was too late, and all four of them fell through a time-portal with the book that placed them back in Misthaven; Caitlin and Regina in the exact same position they had been shortly before Regina was captured for execution.

* * *

"No one's here…" Mary-Margaret said as she and David wandered through the manor. "Should we be worried?"

"Not right now," He told her. "If something happened, I'm sure Emma would tell us."

* * *

"What the hell am I wearing?" Emma looked disdainfully at the black cloak she was wearing over tight red pants and a black shirt and boots. "And where the –"

"You don't know where we are?" Henry stared at her as he brushed himself off in his commoner's clothes. "We're in the Enchanted Forest."

"Misthaven," Caitlin corrected, adjust the silver and diamond tiara in her curly high bun. "And –"

"So this is the palace…" Henry said, running his hand along the railing of the balcony. "It's so cool…"

"That damn book…" Regina muttered as she picked it up. "I cannot believe it –"

"Your majesty," A guard said, stepping into the room. "Is there anything that you need? You have just arrived back from your journey to Wonderland with your daughter, correct?"

Regina nodded shortly. "Yes, and I would like you to make arrangements for my…stepson."

The guard raised an eyebrow as the Queen gestured towards Henry. "Your stepson? Snow White and her prince aren't after her, are they? Did they not almost kill your daughter a few weeks ago?"

Regina took in a sharp breath. "Do as I said."

He nodded shortly and motioned for Henry to follow him, which the young boy did.

"Oh god…" Caitlin said, sitting down on the edge of her bed and feeling dizzy. "Everything –"

"It's alright, dear –" Regina started.

"No, it's not…" She said using her magic to take the Storybook. Leafing through it, she bit her lip. "The story is being re-written…there's nothing about anything that happened after I was attacked."

Emma looked to Regina in horror. "I –"

"You have got to be kidding me," Regina said, glancing through the book herself. "I can't –"

"So we're stuck here?" Emma exclaimed, throwing off her cloak. "We –"

"We'll figure it out," Regina told her. "We're going to be perfectly fine."

"Here?" Emma crossed her arms. "Here? You think we're going to be perfectly fine here?"

"Well, well, well," An all too familiar voice said, adjusting her sword as she stepped into the room. "The Queen and I meet again."

Regina turned towards her, scowling. "Snow White."

"Have you realized yet that this is hurting more people than just me?" She asked her. "That your daughter could die from this?"

Regina tensed. "Don't you dare."

"How many times do I have to try and reason with you?" She shook her head. "Where's Charming?"

"Probably locked away in the dungeons," Regina replied, her anger towards the woman rising again. "Now, what to do with you –"

"I don't want to do this," She said, her voice shaking as she steadied her sword. "But you're endangering us all –"

"Mom," Emma said, slightly panicked. "This isn't like you –"

"Who are you?" She stared at her for a moment in confusion, her eyes wide. "Who –"

"Don't do anything!" Caitlin pushed between her mother and Snow. "Why can't you just stop –"

"I have a family to protect and a kingdom to restore –"

"A family?" Caitlin bit her lip. "You don't even care what it would do to my mom if I were killed."

"That's not true –" Snow protested.

"I can't –" She started.

Upon hearing the doors slam shut through Regina's magic, the former princess, in flight or fight instinct, jammed her sword into the young woman's side before running down to free her love. In agony, Caitlin collapsed to the floor and attempted to rip the sword out, but she was losing blood quickly. Emma found herself unable to do anything but stare in horror; it was in that instant that she understood why Regina hated her mother so much. No one was truly clean. Regina ran over to her daughter and quickly healed her, but the young woman lost consciousness despite it. Gently laying her down, the Queen began to curse out Snow under her breath and the Savior stepped over towards the balcony to look outside – a heavy rain falling outside with no sign of stopping.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Misthaven  
Palace  
9:28 PM**_

"Regina, I don't like this," Emma said as she paced through their room. "My mother isn't like this, she just isn't –"

"I told you," She said, crossing her arms. "And you didn't listen."

Emma scowled. "That's not helpful."

"I'm not trying to be helpful, I'm being realistic," She snapped. "And –"

"Regina, please listen to me!" Emma exclaimed, looking at her partner in deep concern. "If the story is being re-written, we have no idea what's going to happen, and that terrifies me! I can't even fully remember what happened because the book isn't able to tell me! You probably can't even!"

"Not in its entirety," Regina admitted. "Something changed when we fell through, Emma."

"Yeah, no kidding," She said dryly, finally sitting down on their bed in exhaustion. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to live our lives as we will here," Regina told her. "And –"

"Your Majesty," A guard said, stepping into the room albeit pausing upon receiving a glare from the Queen. "I am so sorry to intrude, but I received some disturbing information."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "And what might that be?"

"Your daughter is gone," He said, and her eyes went wide in horror. "She went out riding earlier, but she never came back, and we've been unable to locate –"

Regina pushed him out of the room and slammed the doors with her magic, then stepping over to her mirror. "Show me my daughter."

The mirror shifted from reflective to the deep woods where the heiress was restrained by several guards of Snow and Charming's.

"Do you know where that is?" Emma asked, stepping towards the mirror a bit nervously. "And –"

"…Where's the Queen?" Charming walked over towards the heiress with a hand on his sword. "…Caitlin Leanne –"

"…Why would I tell you?" She snapped. "…I –"

She attempted to use her magic to break free but was sharply hit with fairy dust which inhibited it.

"No," Regina said, snapping her fingers and forcing the mirror to shift to Snow in her bedroom. "Hello Snow."

The woman flinched in start as she matched the Queen's narrow eyed stare.

"Regina," She said, biting her lip. "What do you want?"

"Tell your husband to release my daughter," She said, crossing her arms. "She has never done anything; don't you dare let him do anything to her."

Snow sighed. "Regina, you're the one who will end this war –"

"She's an innocent!" Emma protested. "How can you not –"

"Because it is about more than just me and Regina," Snow shook her head. "And she needs to understand that."

"No," Regina said, crossing her arms. "It's not alright. My daughter –"

"I'm not going to do that," Snow told her. "And I –"

"This is your choice," Regina said, her bitterness rising in her voice. "And it's your end."

* * *

Caitlin sat against the wall of the tower cell, her coat, tight shirt, and leather pants dusty. She was still unable to activate her magic, and she felt completely dejected. There was nothing that felt quite right, and she felt completely unreconciled. In her hands, she was holding her tiara and her dark hair was tangled and hanging unceremoniously down her back. A cool breeze constantly traveled through the window, and it was one of the few comforts she had. She wished that she had a book and ink; in the moment, as with so many, she felt the desire to write. That did not seem like an eminent possibility. She was angry with herself for letting herself get lost, and she was angrier that she ended up in the position she was now. She wanted nothing more than to be in the palace, where she was supposed to be, but she could not escape. At the moment, she was unsure if she would ever escape.

"I'm not trying to hurt you," Snow said, stepping into the cell. "Your mother seems to disagree."

"Considering where I am," She remarked dryly. "I would say that she's got a fair reason to."

Snow sighed. "I don't know what to say, but I don't feel right about this –"

"If you don't feel right about this, let me go," She scowled at the woman in front of her. "Don't be that much of a hypocrite."

"How can I know that my family will be safe?" Snow countered. "How can I be sure that Charming and I can marry in peace –"

"Well," Caitlin said, standing up and crossing her arms. "Why don't you find out?"

"What's going on?" Charming asked as he stepped into the small cell himself. "Snow?"

"She wants us to let her go," Snow said, sending him a slightly pleading look. "I don't feel right about this, we can't just –"

"What if Regina –"

"What if Regina does any number of things?" Snow exclaimed. "I just want us to marry safely in three days' time, and I don't want to make this any worse!"

Charming considered that, sending a cursory glance towards the young woman.

"We'll let you go on one condition," He said. "You'll get your magic back and you'll be let go…but you need to control your mother."

Caitlin glared. "On the condition that you control your wife."

He sighed. "That's not –"

"Fine," Snow said, throwing the dust towards her to unbind her. "But –"

Within a few seconds of reactivating her magic, the young heiress was gone.

* * *

"I'm not going to go after her," Regina said, her hands shaking as she tried to brush out her hair. "But –"

"Mommy?" Caitlin appeared in the room through her magic, startling both Emma and Regina. "Are you –"

"Oh thank god," Emma breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing her. "They let you reactivate your magic?"

"They let me go," She told her. "But they were trying to trap –"

"That much is clear," Emma said, looking worriedly to Regina. "Do you feel a little better?"

Regina snorted. "Because that's likely."

"Mom!" Henry all but ran into the room. "Oh, hi!"

"Hey," Caitlin said, glancing to her brother but then back to her mother. "Snow and Charming are getting married in their palace in three days."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Is that right?"

"What are you thinking?" Henry asked. "You're not –"

"That might be a…perfect opportunity to make a few things very clear to them," She said, standing up with a faint smirk. "And, maybe, we can get exactly where we want to be."

Emma stared at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"No!" Henry exclaimed in realization. "You can't cast the dark curse again, you just can't!"

"Henry –" Regina started.

"Can we please discuss this?" Emma sent her a sharp look. "Please, Regina."

She hesitated for a long moment, biting her lip.

"Henry," Emma said gently. "Can you please let the three of us talk?"

Henry stared at his hands for a moment but then quickly left, slamming the door behind him.

"I'm not sure what we should do," Emma eventually said. "But I don't want you to cast that damn curse."

"It's our only chance at getting home –"

"There has to be –"

"Why don't we…" Caitlin sighed heavily. "Why don't we let it lie for tonight and deal with it tomorrow?"

* * *

"Regina's had a difficult time," Henry explained to his grandson as they sat by the fire, half reading the books which they were holding. "And I know she's still suffering."

The young boy bit his lip. "I don't want her to hurt people."

"It's not like her," He said, then shaking his head. "She'll never admit it to anyone, but, a few months ago, Caitlin and I watched as she followed an arrow that was supposed to take her to the one she hates the most, and it shattered a mirror and showed only her reflection. She hates no one more than she hates herself."

Henry sighed, leafing through the Storybook for a moment.

"I guess that makes sense," He eventually said. "But I just…I wish she knew how to feel better."

"There are two people in the world, beside Emma, that ease her suffering," He sent his grandson a sympathetic look. "And those people are you and your sister. I help her a little, but I think she would be lost without you or Caitlin."

Henry nodded. "I just want her to be happy."

"I know," He said kindly. "And I feel the same way. Losing Daniel was hard for her, but, in the last few weeks, seeing her with Emma has been genuinely comforting. I know they have been involved much longer than that, but the two of them are good for each other. With time, I think she'll finally heal. She's been moving towards that, and I hope that will happen because she deserves happiness."

"I agree," He said, rubbing his neck. "I don't want her to become worse."

"She won't," He said as reassuringly as he could. "I know her better than that, and I think we all do."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Misthaven  
**__**Early Twilight  
**__**6:13 PM**_

The doors to the hall swung open, and gasps of horror could be heard upon the Queen, the heiress, and the Savior stepping into the room.

"Sorry I'm late." Regina said with a smirk, her heels clicking menacingly as she walked forth with her daughter and the Savior.

"Not…" One of the dwarves quaked in her presence. "Not the Queen –"

Regina silenced the room for a moment with her magic, pushing aside everyone who moved to confront her.

"She's not a Queen anymore!" Snow declared, pointing her husband's sword at the woman.

Charming narrowed his eyes as he held his wife. "What do you want, Regina? You have no power, you're no longer the Queen –"

"Oh don't be like that," She said. "I haven't come here to ruin anything. In fact, I've come to give you a gift."

Snow stared at her in horror. "We don't want anything from you –"

"Yet you shall have it," She replied. "My gift to you…is this happy, happy day."

Snow and Charming shared a look of both concern and surprise.

"However," The heiress said, tossing back her dark hair. "Tomorrow, our real work begins because, for all the vows you have made, we have our own."

"No one in this room…" Emma bit her lip but forced herself to meet the unwavering gaze of her mother that was ready to kill. "There is no one in this room is truly innocent, and –"

"And everything you love," Regina said haughtily. "Everything you've ever known or loved will be taken from you."

The Queen sauntered out, the heiress and the Savior still by her side, but they all turned upon hearing a yell from Charming.

"Hey!"

The sword with such force that he had thrown did not pierce the Queen as was his intention. With the snap of her fingers, she and the others were gone.

* * *

"I can't do this!" Snow said, pushing herself up in bed much later that night. "Charming, I cannot sleep knowing that they're –"

"Snow," He said, leaning over and gently caressing her cheek. "They're not really going to be able to do anything. They are desperately clinging to the power that they had so much of just over a month ago. I know it's terrifying, and I'm scared too, but we're going to be okay. Everything is going to be alright."

She sighed heavily, curling into him as he held her close. "I hope so…"

* * *

"Regina –" Henry started, trying to reason with his daughter.

"I have the dark curse," She reminded him, then laughing. "I can use it, and this will finally be over. I won't have to deal with this anymore, and everything will be the way it's supposed to be!"

"I'm still uncomfortable with this," Emma told her as she squeezed her shoulder. "I don't care if it takes us back to my realm and gets my mother back for the wrongs she and my father have done. It's not worth it. It can't be."

"It could be," Caitlin countered. "If we do this right."

"And then what?" Emma asked. "Are we just going to live our lives knowing that we cursed everyone to be exactly what we want them to be? And what about myself? I'm not supposed to be in this realm in the first place, let alone during this time! There are going to be two of me! Do you have any idea how –"

"Then we'll cast the curse before you're born," Regina snapped. "This can work, and it will."

Henry shook his head. "Regina, please don't do this. It's not going to make you happy."

"Nothing makes me happy anymore!" She exclaimed. "My entire life is…I've lost so much, and I just…"

"Mom?" The young Henry stepped into the room, biting his lip. "Are you okay?"

"No, Henry, I'm not," Regina said. "For once in my life, I just wanted to win and even that seems to be impossible."

He came over to her and embraced her tightly.

"You'll find your happy ending," He promised her. "I know it. You and Emma love each other, and you have me and Caitlin. If we're rewriting the story, then we can stay here. We can make things better."

"No," Regina said sharply. "That is not an option. I'm getting my revenge on Snow even if it kills me."

"This isn't who you are!" He exclaimed. "You're supposed to be my mom! Not the Evil Queen!"

"I've never been the Evil Queen," Regina snapped. "I'm simply the Queen; it was Snow who added Evil to my name."

He clung to her almost as if he were a baby. "I don't want you to be miserable."

"None of this is going to make things miserable," She told him. "It's going to help make things better. Henry, I promise, I'm never going to lie to you."

* * *

"_I wish I could talk to angels…" Regina murmured as she rocked her adoptive son in her arms even while the baby boy slept calmly. "I wish you could have known your sister, and I wish I didn't have to do the things I've had to. Nothing has ever made much sense in life…and I hope you will never have to find yourself lost in the abyss."_

_Henry curled into his mother as he continued to sleep._

"_Things can't end like this," Regina said, glancing out the window as the rain fell. "I hate wishing for so much, but I'm falling apart and don't know any better ways to calm down, to force the world to be a little better. I hate the person I've become…but I'm never going to be able to truly admit it."_

* * *

"Caitlin?" Regina stepped out onto the balcony of her daughter's room where the young heiress was sitting with multiple books, a candle, and looking up at the clear night sky. "Are you alright, dear?"

"I suppose," She said, writing a short note into one of the books before turning towards her mother. "I'm just counting the stars, looking for patterns."

"Really?" Regina hesitantly sat down beside her. "How come?"

"Because I…" She sighed heavily. "Honestly, I don't know but I just hope that the hope the night sky and the full moon gives me isn't false hope. If things are going to get worse…then I don't want to believe that they can or will get better. The world isn't like that."

"You're right, it isn't," Regina glanced towards the sky herself for a brief moment. "Why so late?"

"Because I'm still searching for answers," The heiress replied softly. "Because I will always be looking for something to explain why nothing ever really changes, and how so many horrible things can be made from the things that we cling to...whether it's in anger and spite or not."


	11. Chapter 11

_**Misthaven**_

_**The Castle**_

_**Midnight**_

"What if we are to blame?" Snow buried her face in her hands, the heavy guilt threatening to consume her. "Charming, I started all of this -"

"You were a child that made a mistake," He countered, his voice rough from the day but everything about his tone was gentle. "Regina is the one who is at fault for trying to kill you - more than once - for it. And I don't know who that blonde woman is, but she seems to be validating her."

Snow sighed heavily, fidgeting with the lace of her slip. "I don't want to believe that. We know nothing about her, and assuming that she's supporting Regina's evil -"

"How could she not be?" Charming shook his head. "The little boy seems to be the only one of the four of them who is truly innocent, and I'm not really sure when she had a son -"

"Caitlin is a victim herself -" Snow protested.

"She's the one who declared that we might as well set everything on fire!" Charming exclaimed, and she sent him a pointed look. "Snow, look, I know you feel bad for her and that's fine, I understand it, but she is just as bad as Regina no matter how much pity you have for her."

"That's not true," She said quietly. "We could protect her, make things better for her -"

"How can you be certain?" He went silent for a moment and then sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her in an attempt to be comforting. "I don't want to put ourselves at risk, especially since we're going to have a family."

She bit her lip. "She is family, though. She's my step-sister."

He hesitated. "I know, but that doesn't make her immune to the consequences for what she's done."

"She hasn't done anything," Snow said, her voice breaking. "Really, she's innocent."

He said no more, and glanced out the window at the starry night and prayed she was right.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Emma leaned against the archway out to the balcony, arms crossed. "If you're looking for -"

"I found it…" Regina paused, her hands lingering over the edge of the ornate box. "Daniel's ring and the heart of the horse he taught me to ride on. This will do it."

Emma grimaced. "I don't want to think about why you find a heart sentimental...and I really don't want to think about what you might be using it for."

"I'm casting that curse," She told her with finality. "I know you don't like it, but I am going to take what I want. I'm done with people refusing to take me seriously. I made a threat, and I meant it. I am not backing down, Emma, no matter what you say. Besides, do you really want to risk there being two of you?"

She stared at her in horror. "Are you out of your mind? I don't want harm to come to anyone, much less my own parents -"

"You and I both know what they've done -" Regina snapped.

"That aside, no one deserves to have their lives completely ripped away from them!" Emma felt her voice shake, and tried her best to even it out. "I love you, Regina, but it's not worth the price we're going to pay for it!"

Regina swallowed hard, setting aside her own her own trepidations.

"Mommy?" Caitlin lingered in the doorway, shifting nervously.

"What is it?" She asked, glancing to Emma who did not relinquish her glare.

"They know," She said shortly. "They know what we're trying to do."

* * *

_When it all comes crashing down to the ground, where will we be when it comes around?_

_We've wanted it too much and now we're caught in the flames._

_We can set it on, set it on, set it on fire._

_It's too late, now, let the flames burn higher._

_Set it on, set it on, set it on fire._

_It's too late, now, let the flames burn higher._

_Now we're caught in the flames._

* * *

"What are we going to do, mom?" Henry followed Emma around the castle, almost like an excited puppy follows their owner. "You can't let her cast the curse, you can't!"

"If I were able to, believe me, I would," Emma said dryly. "But she's being quite persistent."

"Mom, you can stop her!" Henry exclaimed, his voice cracking. "She loves you! She'll listen, really!"

"No, she won't," Emma said dejectedly. "She's completely unreasonable about it."

He looked at her with wide eyes, hoping to inspire her.

"Henry…" Emma embraced him tightly and patted his head. "It's going to be okay. I promise. I won't let us lose everything, okay? I swear it."

* * *

Rumplestiltskin laughed to himself upon the Queen and her daughter storming into his mansion.

"Oh, whatever do we have here?" He continued to laugh despite the sharp glares the both of them were sending him. "Her majesty and her daughter! Both of whom can only use magic because of me!"

Caitlin narrowed her eyes and slammed a book from a nearby table into his side, causing him to let out a sudden yelp of surprise.

"The curse didn't work," Regina informed him, her voice taking on an increasingly nasty tone. "You said it would let me get my revenge -"

"Your majesty, I have no intentions of lying to you," He smirked and rather haughtily crossed his arms. "More than likely, you didn't do it right."

"I did," She testily replied. "I even sacrificed the heart of -"

"The thing you love most?" He said, quirking an eyebrow. "Isn't that thing standing right here?"

Regina pursed her lips. "I am not killing my own daughter."

"Then you don't get your revenge," He said simply and with an air of superiority. "Unless, of course, you're willing to sacrifice your son, that blonde, or…"

"Henry…" Caitlin breathed in horror. "No!"

"Well, if your mother wants her revenge, she's going to have to kill her father!" Rumplestiltskin began to pace with an almost gleeful expression that both women found to be completely out of place. "Unless, of course, she isn't strong enough to do so."

Regina bristled at the comment. "I would have killed Snow if I had been given the chance after that damned prince woke her up -"

"Still bitter?" He began laughing again. "Ah, just keep in mind that this will leave a void in your heart that you won't be able to fill."

"Must you speak like a complete and utter -"

"Yes," He said. "Anything else?"

"Just one," Regina scowled at the man who stood before her. "No one is more of a pain in the ass than you, are they?"

Rumpelstiltskin laughed, this time much more foreboding than before. "Whatever do you mean, your Majesty?"


End file.
